(Series 28. ep.35) The main action of this episode centred around Dixie borrowing a camper van to transport an ill patient out of the hospital to visit his terminally ill mother for one last time. It sounds like the plot of a weepy made-for-TV movie from the 1970s, especially when they all ended up at the seaside, with Dixie, Lofty and the staff member from the mother’s hospice eating ice cream while the boy and his mother were parked side by side in their wheelchairs on the beach, watching the sun go down. The story was saved from total mawkishness by the character of the mother (Amanda Ryan), who was a former rock-chick biker type who resisted cliches unless she called them cliches first. In the end, it was sweet and sad, but it got Dixie, Lofty and (to a lesser extent) Max into a whole heap of trouble back at Holby.

Max was forgiven fairly easily, partly because he is the living embodiment of charm, but mainly because he’s sleeping with the boss. “The boss” is still Zoe and not Connie, though whenever Zoe is called upon to deal with a situation, Connie seems to be keeping a very close eye on things indeed, almost like she’s already ordered swatches and paint samples for when she has to redecorate the office of power.

Cal’s pursuit of Dr Lily Chao hasn’t progressed very far, though poor Rita was forced to stand at the far side of a patient trying not to gag as Cal employed his best chat-up technique.

Next time: Connie questions Zoe’s judgement (Aha! Is she making her move?) and Dixie is suspended.

I was irked again this week – this time by the unlikehood of Dr Zoe Hanna going back to the scuzzy nurses’ flat for a bit of slap and tickle. No way would she have done that. They’d have done back to her, surely far swankier (and cleaner, and more private) house to Do the Deed. She’s not a Walk of Shame kind of woman.

Even though it’s still early days for Connie I have to admit I’ve been disappointed with what I’ve seen so far; I still think Elliot should have been there in her first episode to provide some essence of continuity. But what’s more disappointing is the lack of character development; aside from the spouting medical jargon and diagnosis she’s hardly interacted with any members of staff and despite offering to become Lily’s mentor they haven’t shared a scene since. Like I say though early days, I just can’t help but feel Connie Beauchamp deserves more than standing in the shadows rolling her eyes as something else goes wrong for poor Zoe. Are we really meant to believe Connie knew what Dixie was up to and would have put a stop to it? If anywhere needs sorting out it’s upstairs! She should have returned to her routes – it would surely have shoved Jac’s nose out of joint and can you just imagine a Connie v Serena showdown!

I’m not quite getting why what Dixie did was so terrible. The camper van was a private vehicle, so no misuse of NHS property. Leo was on a different unit and entitled to leave the hospital if he wanted to. She checked with his doctor he was physically up to the trip, and arranged a qualified nurse escort, but essentially it was a personal, non-hospital matter. And it’s not as if Lofty or Dix were leaving their departments short staffed by bunking off – no, they didn’t have permission, which was a bit naughty, but since when did just saying ‘cover for me’ to a colleague and nipping off, when someone suspects a patient’s welfare is at stake, ever earn more than a stern word anywhere at Holby? Strewth, staff even jack in jobs with no notice, and no-one bats an eye about later rehiring them. About the worst they were guilty of by Holby standards was a minor infringement of employment protocol, I would have thought.